Overview

A new collection from Sky and Telescope's popular columnist.

Sue French's elegant, informative monthly columns in Sky and Telescope magazine have won this astronomy writer a passionate following among astronomy enthusiasts. In 2005, French published 60 of these columns in Celestial Sampler, a book that garnered rave reviews and earned bestseller sales.

Deep-Sky Wonders is a welcome expansion of that winning format. A new collection of the best ...

More About
This Book

Overview

A new collection from Sky and Telescope's popular columnist.

Sue French's elegant, informative monthly columns in Sky and Telescope magazine have won this astronomy writer a passionate following among astronomy enthusiasts. In 2005, French published 60 of these columns in Celestial Sampler, a book that garnered rave reviews and earned bestseller sales.

Deep-Sky Wonders is a welcome expansion of that winning format. A new collection of the best of French's "Deep-Sky Wonders" columns, the book is organized by season and subdivided into months, offering readers a total of 100 in-depth tours of the deep sky with enduring relevance.

Deep-Sky Wonders also features a variety of challenging objects that encourage observers to test the limits of their equipment and skills. Fragments of poetry and prose enliven the text, while each tour illuminates little-known seasonal wonders that lie off the beaten path. From a January journey down the celestial river Eridanus to an autumnal visit to the den of Vulpecula, the Little Fox, French brings the wonders of the sky to life.

Suitable for beginning and intermediate small-scope astronomers as well as large-scope viewers and astrophotographers, this book will be greeted enthusiastically by all Sky and Telescope readers, especially French's many fans. It is also an outstanding introduction to deep-sky viewing for novice observers.

Editorial Reviews

Mercury
- Paul Deans

Book reviews are rarely included in Mercury, but some books call out to be an exception to this rule. Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders is one such volume.... The quality of the deep-sky images is outstanding -- a tribute to the various photographers as well as the book's printer. But it's the written word that will make or break a book like this, and Sue's writing is superb. ... If you're looking for a gift for someone who is an occasional stargazer, a serious observer, or anyone in between, you won't go wrong with Deep-Sky Wonders. This is a great introduction to deep-sky stargazing for novice and experienced amateur astronomers alike.

Washington Post
- Aaron Leitko

French's crisp and conversational writing that makes the process of picking distant nebulae out of the heavens seem simple. Like a science-minded Martha Stewart, she spices up the conversation with tidbits of history (who discovered what and when) to keep readers motivated. Most important, she has a museum curator's eye for detail', helping readers to fully appreciate those tiny flecks of light once they find them.

American Reference Books Annual 2012
- Denise A. Garofalo

[Sue French's] extensive knowledge of the subject is showcased in these 100 detailed tours, including color photographs, descriptions of objects such as stars and clusters and galaxies, historical and scientific background, color charts, and more. The detailed but very readable content is organized by seasons and then by month.... Obscure but interesting astronomical tidbits...are presented with instructions on how to locate the object.... Star maps, a list of additional resources, and an index round out this outstanding book, which is of use to students, both those new to astronomy as well as experienced observers.

Astronomy Now

Highly recommended for anyone interested in deep sky astronomy--it makes for a beautiful and informative read.

Astronomy Now
- Nicky Gutridge

French...is well regarded for having extensive knowledge on the subject [and] conveying this in a very readable and easy-to-understand way.

Product Details

Related Subjects

Meet the Author

Sue French has been an avid deep-sky observer for 32 years and has worked as a planetarium educator for 18 years. She sets up her telescope in her backyard near Schenectady, New York, but travels regularly to enjoy the deep sky from different vantage points.

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked,
or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to
Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original
and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you
and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not
violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help
ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer.
However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or
to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the
information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its
sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the
review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.

- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly
those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com
also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.